Essential Steps of Marketing a Nonprofit Event
Are you planning an event for your nonprofit? We have compiled the most important steps into a convenient event marketing timeline for nonprofit organizations. Get a head start on the process so you can enjoy the event without last-minute stress.
24 Weeks Before the Event
- Define your goals
- Establish fundraising goals
- Choose a target audience of attendees
- Develop a budget
12 Weeks Before the Event
- Create an event design guide
- This should include a theme, colors and your logo for promotional materials
- Book an event space if needed
- Establish a social media plan
- Assign a dedicated social media guru
- Create a posting schedule
- Designate hashtags to use throughout the event
- Create a registration page with event management software
- Use a platform like Eventbrite
- Set up a dedicated page for the event on Facebook
- Make a dedicated email campaign
- Send out a save-the-date email first
- Automate the process with your registration website or email service provider
6 Weeks Before the Event
- Send out invitations via snail mail, email and social media
- Encourage people to register for the event on social media
- Consider a paid campaign on your most popular platforms
- Write a blog post about what to expect at the event
- Include a call to action to register with the event registration link
- Add an eye-catching registration button on your website
- Decide how to invite the press
- Compile a media list
- Send out a media advisory
- Order any needed signage for the site
- This could include banners with your organization’s logo
- Photo area for social media
- Continue your email campaign
- Book a photographer to capture images at the event
- Write and send a press release with pertinent details
- This should go out about two to three weeks before the event
- Use a press release template from HubSpot
- Find volunteers to run the event
- These could be internal workers or require asking the community for volunteers
During the Event
- Distribute promotional materials as people enter and mingle
- This could include business cards, pamphlets, flyers, swag
- Encourage attendees to take pictures and share them on social media with your designated hashtag
- Post pictures as the event occurs and live-stream
- Capitalize on short stories
After the Event
- Share pictures and any fundraising goals reached via email and social media
- Thank everyone for coming
- Send photos to the press
- Encourage attendees to keep sharing their photos online
- Interact with posts your nonprofit is tagged in
- Publish a blog post about the event
For more free resources for nonprofit event marketing, explore HubSpot’s dedicated collection.
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